Measles-suspected cases seen in Son La, Hoa Binh

A number of scarlet fever cases suspected of measles have been recorded
in the northern provinces of Son La and Hoa Binh, said the Department of
Preventive Medicine under the Health Ministry on September 6.

Fifty cases were reported between August 15-30 in Van Ho district, Son
La province while 93 others were seen from August 18 to September 4 in
Hang Kia commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province. Most of them
were from the Mong ethnic minority group.

The
department attributed poor access to health care services and a low
measles vaccination rate to a high risk of an outbreak of the disease.

In response to the situation, the local health care
sectors have rolled out a number of measures, including strengthening
supervision over the disease to soon detect infected cases and
immediately vaccinating children aged from 1-14.

The
Health Departments of Son La and Hoa Binh have also increased mobile
vaccination points in remote villages and communes as part of efforts to
give vaccinations to ethnic minority people, while strengthening
communications on preventive measures against measles.

Earlier this year, nearly 4,000 measles cases were reported across 61
out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, mostly in Hanoi and Ho
Chi Minh City.

According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), measles is one of the leading causes of death among
young children. The disease, which is caused by a virus in the
paramyxovirus family, kills about 330 people every day or 14 people
every hour.

Measles vaccinations resulted in a 78 percent drop in deaths between 2000 and 2012 worldwide, said the organisation.-VNA